Willard f



(No Model.) A

W. I. RICHARDS.

GARGOUPLING.- No. 554;310.

Patented Feb. 11, 1896.

lll/lil l/llllll/Ulll NiTn STATES IVILLARD F. RICHARDS, OF BUFFALO,ASSIGNOR TO THE GOULD OOUPLER COMPANY, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 554,310, dated February11, 1896.

Application filed July 25, 1895. Serial No. 557,061l (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLARD F. RIcrIARDs, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New yYork, have invented a new and useful Improvem ent in Oar-Couplings, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention has more especial reference to twin-jaw car-couplingswhich comprise a swinging coupling jaw or knuckle, a lock for retainingthe jaw in its closed position, and an automatic device, commonly calleda F kicker, whereby the jaw is thrown to its open position when releasedby the lock.

Among other jaw-opening devices springs of various kinds have hithertobeen employed; but these have proved unsatisfactory, because ifcompressed or strained sufficiently to throw the coupling-jaw open, theywere liable to become set, while if compressed to a less extent, theyfailed to give the jaw the necessary impulse to open it.

My invention has for its object to produce an effective jaw-openingdevice of this character which will reliably and fully throw the jaw toits open position without requiring the spring to be unduly strained,thus rendering the same more durable.

In the accompanying` drawings, Figure lis a horizontal section of acar-couplin g containing my improvement, showing the couplingjaw in itslocked position. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the position of theparts when the coupling-jaw is thrown open. Fig. 3 is a transversevertical section of the coupling in line 3 3, Fig. l. Fig. 4 is abottoni plan view of the same, partly in section. Fig. 5 is a detachedbottom plan view of the couplin g-j aw and the kicker or shifting-lever.Fig. 6 is an inverted perspective view of the shifting-lever.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

A represents the draw-head, preferably constructed according to thewell-known standi ard lines and having the usual recess or chainber forreceiving the movable parts of the coupler.V

I3 is the horizontally-swingiug' knuckle or coupling-jaw which ispivoted iu a common manner to the bifurcated arm a of the draw- #recesst', formed in the' bottom of the head, and Z) is the locking-arm of thejaw. O

is the lock or pawl whereby the coupling-jaw is heldin its lockedpositiomand which may be of any well-known or suitable construction andoperated by any usual means. In the drawings is shown a pivoted lockarranged to swing horizontally and adapted to interlock at its free endwith the arm of the coupling-jaw.

I) is the shifting-lever or kicker arranged in the lower portion of thedraw-head, in rear of the coupling-jaw, and swinging horizontally on avertical pin or pivot d, which is preferably formed integrally with thelever. This pivot is seated in a vertical opening formed in the bottomof thedraw-head and is confined therein by a pin or cotter d. The longfront arm of this shifting-lever extends forwardly and outwardly underthe locking- 7o arm of the coupling-jaw,`in lthe locked position of thelatter, as shown in Fig. l, and is formed at its free end with anupwardly-projecting lip or lug d2, which stands in the path of thelocking-arm of the coupling-jaw andis adapted to bear against the rearside thereof when the same is closed.

E is a spring bolt or rod arranged transversely on the under side of thedraw-head and bearing with its head or enlargement e Se, against anactuating pin or projection f de-` pending from the short rear armV ofthe shifting-lever, the head of the bolt having a concave seat, asshown, which receives said actuating pin. This pin extends downward -Vthrough a transverse slot ff formed in the bottom of the draw-head. Thebolt F is guided in a transverse housing or pocket G formed on the underside of the draw-head. I-I is a spring surrounding the bolt E and 9obearing at one end against the head of the bolt and at its opposite endagainst the closed rear end of the pocket G.

The shifting-lever is preferably seated in a drawhead, as shown in Fig.3.

IV hen the coupling-jaw is swung into its closed or locked position, itslocking-arm,

striking the lip cl2 on the front arm of the shifting-lever, swings saidarm outwardly or Ioo laterally to the position shown in Fig. l. rlhiscauses the short arm of the lever to swing toward the spring-bolt E,causing the pin f of the short arm to push the bolt outward andcompressing the spring. The lock C retains the coupling-jaw in thisposition against the pressure of the spring-bolt. As soon as the lock isoperated to release the coupling-jaw the spring-bolt reacts and exertingits force against the pin of the short arm of the shifting-lever, swingsthe latter on its pivot to the position shown in Fig. 2, thereby causingthe long front arm of the lever to throw the coupling-jaw to its openposition, as shown in said figure.

The front arm of the shifting-lever is considerably longer than its reararm, so that fa short stroke of the rear arm produces a comparativelylong stroke of the front arm, and as the spring-bolt bears against theshort arm of the lever its spring is compressed to a comparatively smallextent when the jaw is closed, thus effectually guarding againstoverstraining of the spring while at the same time producing sufficientmovement of the long arm of the shifting-lever to insure the completeopening of the coupling-jaw.

I claim as my inventionl. The combination with the draw-head, a movablecoupling-jaw and a lock, of a shifting-lever pivoted between its ends tothe draw-head and having its front arm arranged to bear against thecoupling-jaw and a spring operating against the rear arm of theshiftinglever, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with the draw-head, a swinging coupling-j aw having alocking-arm, and a lock7 of a shifting-leverpivoted within the draw-headand arranged to bear against the locking-arm of the coupling-jaw, and aspring arranged on the under side of the drawhead and operating againstsaid shifting-lever, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with the draw-head having a slot in its bottom, aswinging coupling-jaw having a locking-arm, and a lock, of ashifting-lever pvoted within the draw-head, arranged to bear against thelocking-arm of the coupling-jaw and provided with an operating pin orprojection passing through the slot of the draw-head, and a spring-boltarranged on the under side of the draw-head and bearing against theactuating-pin of the shifting-lever, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with the draw-head having a slot in its bottom, aswinging coupling-jaw having a locking-arm, and aloek, of a horizontally-swinging shifting -lever arranged within the draw-head, pivoted betweenits ends and having its front arm provided with a lug adapted to bearagainst the locking-arm of the coupling-jaw and its rear arm with anactuating-pin extending through the slot of the draw-head, and atransverse spring bolt or rod' guided on the under side of the draw-headand bearing again st the actuating-pin of the shifting-lever,substantially as set forth.

lVitness 1n y hand this 20th day of May7 1895.

VVILLARD F. RICHARDS.

4lVitnesses:

JNo. J. BONNER, KATHRYN ELMoRE.

